Picnics and whisky sounds good doesn’t it but when it’s wild picnics and a tutored whisky tasting held in a remote lunch hut/bothy atop a Scottish mountain on the edge of the Cairngorms in the Scottish Highlands, it sounds incredible!

A REVIEW OF STRALOCH ESTATE WILD PICNIC AND WHISKY TASTING IN THE SCOTTISH HIGHLANDS

Straloch Estate is 3000 acres of rugged beautiful Scotland situated in Blairgowrie not far from Pitlochry just off the A9 and only 90 minutes from Edinburgh. The estate is owned and run by Will and Lucy Holt who not only open their gorgeous home to accommodate guests but they have two stand alone lodges that can accommodate families or larger groups.

Stalkers Lodge sleeps six and features a glass fronted extension with views over the glen and Keepers Cottage sleeps four which is cosier with open plan kitchen and sitting area with feature wood burning stove and even has a warm boot room!

STRALOCH HOUSE

On this occasion I was staying in the main house complete with four black Labradors and if I had managed to wrangle it they would have spent the night in my room! (hehe).

The main house stands grand at the end of a long drive way, its solid looking with nods to the arts n crafts movement and a backdrop of rolling hills and sheep, providing endless picture perfect opportunities to capture Scottishness!

From the vivid and colourful entrance room to the reception area then into the lounge, there’s loving touches and quirky details everywhere that adds to the warmth of this home which is only further intensified by Will and Lucy - two gorgeous people who make you feel so at home - they truly are hosts with the most!

THE ROOMS

Venturing upstairs past endless stunning pieces of artwork (Lucy was an art broker and her mother an artist) my soul is filled with joy. I love places that aren’t scared of colour. There’s artwork here that includes some of Coldplays songs, a ginormous two piece canvas of Muhammad Ali and various landscapes and sculptures. I feel very much at home here.

There are several rooms to choose from all colour themed - green, pink and yellow. The yellow room has an en suite whilst the pink and green have a choice of two bathrooms to choose from. There is a striking turquoise bathroom with roll top bath or the bathroom that comes with an original Victorian shower contraption!

Every room is individual with bespoke themes. The pink room looked soft and dreamy and I just wanted to sink into that bed, so I did!

The bed was soft, like diving into a cloud. The windows have black out blinds plus heavy curtains providing supreme sleep conditions.

After settling in, it was nearing 12 noon and was time to set off to our Wild Picnic and Whisky Tasting.

WILD PICNIC LUNCH HUT AND WHISKY TASTING

Straloch provide two options to reach the lunch hut. One, you can hike the 50 minutes or so up the mountain along with the dogs, if you wish, or two, you can hop in the land rover and Will drives you up. I’m glad I opted for the land drover as the weather days before meant that there was a big thaw and streams of icy water where pouring down the hillsides making the area extremely muddy.

Luckily the land drover can drop you off right outside the lunch hut and there is very little wadding through mud or streams.

The hut location is incredible. Perched high up in the hills of Straloch, overlooking heather clad glens, rivers and looking up towards the mountains of Glenshee.

The lunch hut is airtight and cosy thanks to the wood burning stove and fur rugs. Also it helped that we were drinking whisky!

During the Summer months, the side of the of the lunch hut swings open bringing the Scottish landscape inside or you outside. A large deck out front will also make for an ideal sundowner spot on those long light Summer nights.

Inside the hut, the wooden table was laden to breaking point with delectable plates of food and four superb whiskies chosen by Ewan and Sandy.

Ewan McIlwraith owns Robertsons of Pitlochry which is a whisky shop, tasting room and bar. Whilst Sandy Fraser runs the successful Spirit of Perthshire Whisky Festival and various other whisky events and experiences.

These two whisky buffs have teamed up with Straloch to bring you a very unusual whisky experience - The Wild Picnic and Whisky Tasting.

Ewan and Sandy lead you through a very relaxed and informal whisky tasting. Their knowledge is extensive but they are able to adapt their chat for novice and expert alike. We tasted four great whiskies - Lindores Abbey, Linkwood, Lochlea and Ardnamurchan.

Ewan weaved the whisky tasting throughout the lunch inbetween mouthfuls of Leek and Gruyere Tart; Potato Salad with pancetta, spring onion and cheddar; Stilton and Celery Soup; Pork & Haggis Scotch Egg; Pork and caramelised onion Sausage Roll, salads and Cheesecake.

These Wild Picnics and Whisky Tastings are bespoke so you can tailormake them to whatever you require; from the food to the whiskies you taste. Will, Lucy, Ewan and Sandy will create your perfect Wild Picnic!

After a few hours, Will returned in the land drover to remove us from our remote Wild Picnic hut and return us to the cosy confines of the Main House lounge. We were welcomed back with hot tea and scones in front of the fire. Bliss!

WHISKY TASTING DINNER

The whisky and eating continued throughout my stay and before you knew it, it was 7pm and time for champagne and canapes in the lounge before heading into dinner and more whisky tasting!

This is where I have to give a massive shout out to Chef Penny who prepares the incredible picnic banquets but also knows how to excite the tastebuds with incredible canapes prior to dinner and then goes on to deliver a menu that I could not have written better myself. Every dish was my favourite food!

• Pan fried Scallops with melted leek pasta and pancetta crumb

• Marinated marmalade and whisky lamb fillet with creamy mash potatoes and buttered savoy cabbage

• Cranachan Pannacotta with toasted oatmeal shortbread

• Fine Scottish Cheese Board - Cambus O’May, Strathdon Blue, Tain Minger and Arran Cheese

Ewan led the whisky tasting, this time each whisky was paired with a dinner course.

Tomatin PX 18yo Hand Filled Distillery Exclusive with Scallops

Edradour 12yo Sherry Cask Ibisco Decanter with the Lamb

The Golden Cask 28yo Bourbon Cask from Speyside with the Pannacotta

North Star Caol Ila Peated Special Bottling for Robertsons with the Cheese.

Excellent whiskies that complimented, contrasted and confused the palate. Ewan’s tastings are casual with plenty of chat around all aspects of the whisky industry and the time limit on delivering the event is flexible. We finished up around 11pm before retiring to the lounge for a nightcap which concluded around midnight.

What a fabulous day, but that bed was calling and I couldn’t wait.

BREAKFAST

With Penny determined for us not to leave without a full belly, breakfast was another fabulous feast of pasties, cereals, fruits, yoghurts and cooked breakfasts, plus as much tea and coffee as your little heart desires. Nothing is too much of a hassle here.

After breakie and before departing I went and said hello to the resident donkies - Rita and Toffee and a wee goodbye to the sheep who have a great life inside the very picturesque walled garden.

This has to be one of the most incredible excursion experiences I’ve had in Scotland. I can only best describe it as Scottish to the core. It’s everything that’s phenomenal about Scotland - the remoteness, the whisky, the food, the hospitality, the weather, the views and of course the people.

A massive thank you to Will and Lucy Holt for hosting me, to Chef Penny for mouth watering food and to Ewan and Sandy for the whiskies.

INFORMATION ON WILD PICNICS AND WHISKY TASTINGS AT STRALOCH

Together with Spirit of Perthshire, Straloch have a variety of packages available and will happily tailormake your experience according to your budget and happy to organise bespoke private small group packages too.

To make sure they deliver the BEST experience for you, its best there is a minimum of 4 guests.

Experience examples

• Silver package - Lunch Hut picnic with whisky tasting and possibly dinner

• Gold package - Overnight stay, lunch hut picnic with whisky tasting and whisky dinner

• Platinum package - Two over night stays, distillery tours to exclusive distilleries not open to the public, lunch hut picnic with whisky tasting and whisky dinner, a visit to Robertsons in Pitlochry with lunch and a talk from a whisky guest

Drop Will or Lucy an email to enquire will@straloch.com or phone on 07941 152049. Visit their website for more info www.straloch.com or check out their Instagram accounts www.instagram.com/stralochestate or www.instagram.com/stralochwildpicnics

STRALOCH HIGHLAND ESTATE, ENOCHDHU BY BLAIRGOWRIE, PERTHSHIRE, PH10 7PH

My Spoon Award : Tartan Spoon 10/10

I was invited by Will and Lucy to review this new experience. The entire experience was complimentary but the views are very much my own.